Grave Decisions
by weirdgirl42
Summary: The Gravedigger is back. He has Bones and Booth. Based loosely on some season 4 spoilers but not really. Also, Zach is still around. BB, HA
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Okay the only spoilers I've read just told me that we will be dealing with the Gravedigger again, and that Angela will break up with Roxie. So I decided to write this story. It'll be a lot more chapters than my other Bones stories._

_This takes place during season 4 but in my world, Zach never became a serial killer apprentice. Other than that, everything is the same. _

**Grave Decisions**

Hodgins had nearly finished analyzing the particulates from their latest case when he heard his phone beep, indicating a message. He quickly dialed his voicemail, holding the phone with his shoulder as his hands continued to input data into the computer.

Angela, who was walking up onto the platform, watched as all the blood drained from his face. The phone dropped from his ear and he stumbled backwards until he reached the examination table and slid down, sitting on the floor. Angela was at his side in an instant.

"Hodgins?" She put a hand on his shoulder. His eyes were unfocused and his breathing was shallow. "Hodgins look at me." It was as though he didn't even hear her. Angela saw, out of the corner of her eye, that Cam and Zach had rushed over and that a security guard was standing on alert nearby. Angela moved her hands to either side of his face. "Jack," she said in a soft voice.

The sound of his first name seemed to break the spell slightly. "There's no air," he gasped. "No air left."

Angela was taken aback. He hadn't had a panic attack about being buried alive in almost two years. She leaned forward until their foreheads touched. "You're not down there Jack. We got you out." It was the same thing she had said over and over to him that first night they spent together, when the nightmares had continued to tear him from sleep. "You're in the lab. There's plenty of air."

Hodgins looked up at her, his panicked eyes brimming with tears. "Not for them. There's no air for them."

"Who Hodgins?"

"Booth and Brennan," Zach answered for him.

Everyone's head whipped around to face him. He was standing with Hodgins' phone pressed to his ear. He hit the button for speakerphone and held it out."

"_Dr. Temperance Brennan and Agent Seeley Booth have been buried alive…"_

XXXXXXXXXX

When she woke in the dark, the first thing she thought was that she must be dreaming. It was a dream she'd had so often in the past, that her mind told her it must be what was happening now. Another nightmare. In a few minutes, her alarm would go off and she would wake up in her apartment, go to work, and everything would be normal again.

But something wasn't right. She wasn't in a car. She was half laying down, half propped up with what felt like a coat under her head and behind her back. The room, or whatever it was, was completely dark. Her head felt fuzzy. And there was someone sitting next to her but when they spoke, she knew it wasn't Hodgins.

"Bones? Are you awake?"

"Booth?"

"Yeah it's me Bones. He got us. Gravedigger."

"Booth?"

"I can feel the taser burn on my neck."

"Booth?"

Booth continued, not even hearing her. "How could we be so stupid? How did we let this happen again?"

"Booth!"

This time her voice was so frantic it jostled him out of his rant and he reached out to take her hand. It was cold and clammy. "What Bones?" It occurred to him that if he was tasered, she had probably been hit by a car since she had come to the parking lot looking for him. "Are you okay?"

"Booth, I can't feel my legs."

_tbc_

_love it? hate it? tell me about it._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Okay people," Cam said. "We have nine more hours before Booth and Brennan run out of air. I need to hear ideas."

"The FBI is working a couple of leads with nearby garbage dumps," Cullen said. He had arrived at the Jeffersonian twenty minutes after getting the call, acting as the lead agent on the case. "We're looking for anything big enough to hold two people and ten hours of air."

"The money drop is in four hours," Zach said.

"I'll have the cash by then."

Everyone turned to Hodgins who was walking onto the platform, Angela right beside him. Zach was the first to speak.

"I thought your company wanted proof of life before they would agree to pay a ransom."

"After last time," Hodgins told them, "I put in an exception for Gravedigger. In case he tried to finish the job. Which he did."

Cam was the next to find her voice. "Hodgins," she said, "ten million dollars is a lot of money. No one here expects you to…"

Hodgins angrily cut her off, "You don't have any idea what it's like. If we take his pattern into account, one of them was probably hit by a car. They have no idea where they are or even exactly how much time it's been. The air gets thinner with each second. And you're scared that every breath you take might be the last oxygen your lungs ever get. And you know it doesn't matter if you're rescued because a part of you will be in that damn car forever!"

No one moved. Angela felt her chest burn when his words moved from third to second person.

"You can't understand. None of you. The only person who can is Dr. Brennan. And now she's trapped down there again. So don't tell me what I'm expected to do. We are going to get them even if I have to sell a kidney on the black market." He turned and walked off the platform. "The money will be here in three hours," he said over his shoulder before walking into Angela's office.

Angela looked at the stunned faces with a small sense of pride. "We should call that guy," she said as she followed Hodgins towards her office. "The one who wrote the book."

"Vega," Cam said when she was gone.

Cullen waved to an agent who said he'd take care of it. Then the deputy director turned back to the squints. "I'd tell Dr. Hodgins that the FBI strongly discourages paying ransoms, but I don't think it would make a difference.

"No," Cam agreed, rubbing her temples in order to try and remain calm. "No I don't imagine it would.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What are we in?" Brennan asked. Almost half an hour had passed since she'd woken up. The pain in her stomach was beginning to get worse and the lack of feeling below her waist scared her more than she was willing to say. She had placated Booth after he'd removed her shoes and poked her from her feet to her thighs to see if anything registered by saying that there was probably just swelling around her spine that would go away eventually. But she knew this was unlikely and even if it was true, her other injuries would probably make it a moot point. The only way to keep Booth from knowing the severity of her injuries, however, was to keep him talking.

"I think it's an elevator," Booth replied. "There's a seam across the ceiling and plastic buttons on one side of what feels like a door."

Brennan blinked a few times. Her eyes were still trying to adjust to the complete darkness. "What supplies do we have?"

"Well he got smarter since last time. We have no cell phones or anything with a battery. We have two bottles of water, a Snickers I had in my pocket, a Swiss Army knife, two pens, a paper clip from my other pocket, and three pieces of gum."

"If we were MacGyver we'd be all set," Brennan said.

In the darkness, she didn't see Booth's double take and wide open grin. "Bones, did you just make a pop-culture joke?"

"My dad loved that show," she said by way of explanation.

"Why did you have to do it down here? No one is going to believe me now. I have no witnesses."

Brennan chuckled. The movement caused pain to shoot through her torso and the laugh turned into coughing. When she tasted metal she knew, even without seeing it, that she was coughing up blood.

A dim green light suddenly shown and Brennan squinted. "Bones you okay?" came Booth's voice. Brennan could see that he was using the light from his watch to study her face as best he could.

"Jesus Bones, there's blood."

Brennan nodded as the light disappeared. "I know. I think I'm bleeding internally." She felt his hands press gently on her stomach and she bit her lip to keep from crying in pain. "Okay, I'm certain I'm bleeding internally."

"Yeah you're right," Booth confirmed. "Okay, we gotta get out of here."

Brennan smiled sadly at his words. "We're not going to get out of here Booth."

"Hey no talking like that. You're a genius and I'm…well I'm not half dumb so between the two of us we'll figure something out."

"You're not dumb at all Booth. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way. If I ever made you doubt your intelligence. There are a lot of ways a person can be brilliant. Don't think otherwise, ever."

"Bones you're gonna feel pretty dumb yourself the next time I'm being dense and I remind you that you think I'm brilliant."

She wanted to tell him she was positive there wasn't going to be a next time. That she could feel herself dying. She wanted to tell him so many things.

"We know he buries his victims down at least three or four feet," she said. "Plus he must have factored in the fact that this is an elevator and buried us deeper. So even if you managed to get the doors open, you wouldn't be able to climb to the surface before the dirt filled the elevator."

"You don't know that for sure. I might be able to."

She looked over at him. She could imagine the determination that was most likely written across his face. She could see in her mind the way his eyes darkened when he was focusing on a problem. If she was the kind of person prone to sentimentality, she would reach out and brush the worry lines she knew crossed his forehead as she spoke her next words.

"You might be right. But you won't get out if you're carrying me too."

Even though they were not touching any place she could feel, she still sense his body stiffen. He knew what she was saying and he knew she was right, but he said nothing.

"We don't have a lot of time Booth."

"We have plenty of time. Hodgins will pay the ransom, they'll dig us out, we'll get you to a hospital, and everything will be alright."

Brennan inhaled with some difficulty. She decided not to argue for now, mostly because she didn't have the energy. She felt her eyelids drift shut.

"Don't fall asleep Bones."

Her eyes shot open at his words. "How did you know?"

"You stopped arguing and your breathing slowed."

Brennan swallowed slowly, trying to fight the nausea from swallowing blood. He knew her so well. Could pick up on the tiniest changes in her breathing. She knew him that well too. It made her want to sob knowing that she would probably never get the chance to know him even more intimately. She had sensed that their relationship had been progressing in that direction for some time. But now it looked like that door was closing forever.

"How about you tell me what the new book is about so I know you're awake."

"I told you before, you can read it when it comes out in a few weeks."

"Aw come on Bones. It's not like I'm asking to read your manuscript. You'd think I was some random guy off the street asking for a sneak peek. No, I'm just your partner, that's all."

Brennan reached out towards his voice and lay a hand on his thigh. She could tell that he was sitting up against the side of the elevator, legs crossed in front of him. "You haven't been just my partner for a long time," she said.

She heard his intake of breath and felt his hand cover hers. "I know," he said.

"If you get out of here," she began.

"No. No talking like that. No last requests, and no goodbyes."

"If you get out of here," she repeated, ignoring his protest.

"Bones!"

"Booth please!" The outburst brought on another round of coughing and she clutched at her stomach with her free hand. When it was over, she realized his grip on her other hand had tightened and he was rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "You have to let me say this," she told him.

"Okay. I'm sorry. What is it?"

"If you get out of here, there's a copy of my will in my desk at home."

"Alright."

"Almost everything goes to the museum. There's some little things for the squints, Angela, Russ, and my dad. And all the money, plus whatever else comes in from the books, gets split between Hayley, Emma, and Parker."

Booth was glad for the darkness because it hid the shock. "Bones…Parker…are you sure?"

"Yes," Brennan breathed. "My lawyer set it all up for each of them. It's a trust for college and whatever other school they want. The plan was that if I was alive, I'd give it to them when they turned 18."

"I don't know what to say." He was completely overwhelmed that she counted his son on the same level as her brother's children. That she cared enough for him and Parker to ensure the boy could have the best education he wanted.

"There's one other thing."

"What?"

"At my apartment, in the copy of my second book that's in my bookcase, there are some letters."

"Letters for whom?"

Brennan leaned her head back against the side of the elevator and closed her eyes. "For you," she whispered. "The last time this happened, Hodgins and I wrote letters in case you didn't find us in time. I wrote to you. And then after my father was arrested I wrote another. And after my father's trial, and another one after you were shot. They're all in the book. If you get out of here, you should have them."

Booth was silent for a few minutes. The things she was saying, the way her voice was unsteady with pain, it was all too much. He wasn't ready to accept the fact that she would probably die in his arms. "Okay Bones," he said finally. "I'll get them. And we'll read them together."

Brennan didn't have the strength to argue with him.

_tbc_

_please review_


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay, last update of the night. Next part should be up sometime tomorrow._

**Chapter 3**

Hodgins sat in Angela's desk chair, staring blankly into space. He had just gotten off the phone with the chairman of the Cantilever Group. He had basically manhandled the other man who had questioned the wisdom of giving in to the Gravedigger's demands. The money was on its way. They would find Brennan and Booth. They had to.

He looked up as Angela walked into the room. She had been with Cam and Cullen who were meeting with Vega. "What did he say?"

"He said we're doing the right thing by paying. He seemed somewhat relieved that Booth is underground and not here this time. I get the feeling Booth did a bit of a number on him."

Hodgins nodded, but said nothing. He didn't like Vega for the same reason he assumed Booth didn't. The man personally profited off the victims of the Gravedigger. It wasn't right. But he still said nothing.

"Are you okay?" Angela asked. "I mean, relatively speaking?"

"Well I'm not going to hyperventilate anymore if that's what you're asking." He said this with no anger, just self loathing.

"Hey," Angela said, sitting down on the desk in front of him. "No one blames you for freaking out a little. We all understand. You went through something terrible and now it's happening again to people you care about. You're allowed to be scared."

He wasn't sure what made him lean forward and rest his head against her stomach. And she wasn't sure what made her reach up to gently run her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner. But what they both knew was that the gestures felt familiar and right. When Hodgins tilted his head up, she was already leaning down to meet him halfway.

The kiss was the slow, comfortable kiss of long-time lovers reuniting after an extended separation. Hodgins felt the pain and anger he'd built up over the last several months begin to fade away. He'd thought, after Angela broke up with Roxie, that maybe they'd get another chance but when months passed and still nothing, he had almost given up hope. Now he felt his heart soar and he wanted nothing more than to let Angela wrap him in her arms and make all the pain go away. But doubt still lingered just beneath the surface and he reluctantly pulled back.

"Angela, listen to me," he said. "The only thing I've ever been sure about in my whole life outside the lab is that I love you. And I want you back more than anything in this world. So if this is just you feeling sorry for me, or because the last time we dealt with the Gravedigger it was kind of the beginning of us, you have to tell me now and let me keep some of my dignity and sense of self."

Angela reached out and laced their fingers together. "I never stopped loving you Jack," she said. "I just…I didn't think it was enough. But now, thinking about Bren and Booth down there, knowing how they feel about each other, it makes me sick. They've never gotten the chances we have to be together. They always thought that their feelings weren't enough. And now, if we don't find them, they'll never know. I don't want to wake up one day and realize I screwed up the only really important thing in my life. I want you Jack. In a crazy, scary, forever way. I love you more than you know."

Hodgins cupped her face and kissed her again. "Right now we have to save Dr. Brennan and Booth. But when this is over, we're going to have a much longer conversation. And then, if you want, I'll clean out half of my closet again."

"Sounds like a plan."

XXXXXXXXXX

A couple of hours had passed. Every few minutes Booth would ask Brennan a random question to make sure she was still awake. He kept up a brave front but he knew she was getting weaker. Every so often she would cough and he could hear the blood in her throat.

Between questions he thought about his parents, about Jared, about Max and Russ. He thought about the squints, especially Hodgins who was no doubt taking this the hardest. He thought about Parker. His sweet, perfect little boy whom he might never see again. It was almost overpowering, the pain that particular thought caused. The only thing that hurt more, was the thought that he might survive, and Bones wouldn't. He didn't know what he would do if that was the fate which came to pass.

Reaching into his shirt, he grasped the pendants that hung from a chain around his neck. St. Christopher he'd been given as a child. And St. Albert, which no one knew about, that he had bought after the case in Vegas. St. Albert was the patron saint of scientists. He'd decided that if she could irrationally use beginner's luck to help him, then he could pray to her saint for safety and maybe his belief would be enough for the both of them.

'Please,' he prayed silently, running his fingers over the metal. 'Please don't make me live without her. Don't make me face the squints, and tell Parker why Bones can't show him Limbo anymore. Please. Just let her live.'

Enough time had passed that he felt he should make sure she was awake. "How you holding up Bones?"

"It's been almost five hours Booth. We need to talk about our options."

"What do you mean options? The only option I see is to wait until the squints find us. So there's really nothing to talk about unless you've figured a way out of here. Have you done that?"

"No."

"Well then there are no options to discuss."

"Do you remember the Kent brothers? The twins?"

Booth felt his heart jump into his throat. "Bones, you had better not be saying what I think you're saying."

"It makes the most sense. If I'm gone, you have twice as long for them to find you before you run out of air. And you might be able to get yourself out."

"No," he said. "Not a chance. Get that thought out of your head."

"There isn't much time to decide. Not if we want to give you the best chance of survival. I know that your religion frowns against this, but according to you I'm probably going to hell anyways. I'm okay with it Booth."

"I said no Bones!" He took a breath and placed his hand on her forehead. "No," he repeated, much more softly. "Now rest. Save your strength for when they find us."

Brennan felt the tears begin to drip down her cheeks. She knew it was the most rational option. If he couldn't understand that, then she would make the choice for him.


	4. Chapter 4

_Be advised, this chapter is hard. The scene between Booth and Bones is actually the first scene I wrote for this story. It's the scene that wouldn't get out of my head. You all know what I'm talking about._

**Chapter 4**

Hodgins, Angela, Zach, and Cam were sitting around the examination table. No one spoke. Under the table, Hodgins was gripping Angela's hand as though it was the only thing keeping his head above water. They were waiting on the courier who would arrive with the money within the hour.

The silence was broken by Cullen running up onto the platform, setting off the alarms in doing so. "We've got something!" he exclaimed as the security guards ran to stop the terrible alarm noise. "Yesterday a man bought an old hotel elevator from a dump in Alexandria. Last night police in that area received a call from a guy who said someone was using some sort of construction equipment in the middle of the night at the new condo site next door. The police responded but all they found was normal construction site equipment and no evidence of anyone being there. But the construction foreman told one of my guys on the phone that when he arrived at work this morning it looked like there was a freshly covered hole that he didn't remember making."

"Let's go!" cried Zach, jumping up from his chair. Everyone looked at him, slightly surprised at the usually subdued man's gung-ho attitude. "Well it's the best piece of evidence we have so far. A standard hotel elevator is larger than the elevator for an average building. It would give two people roughly the amount of air that the Gravedigger has given us time for."

"I'm with Zach," Angela said.

They all stood up.

"Where do you all think you're going?" Cullen asked.

"With you," Hodgins replied.

"I don't think so."

"Director Cullen," Angela said, her tone leaving little room for argument, "I don't remember anyone asking your permission to go along. We're coming."

"If you don't drive us we will simply follow you in our own vehicles," Zach reasoned.

Cullen shook his head and muttered under his breath, "Squints. Alright let's move."

"Cam," said Hodgins, "will you stay wait for the guy? We'll call when we know more. If they aren't there, we'll still have time to make the drop."

"I'll stay with the money," Cam agreed. "Go bring back our people."

XXXXXXXXXX

Booth felt, rather than heard, her arm move. She had taken something from their pile of supplies and then brought her arm back to her waist. What he heard, was a zipper, and the sound of his Swiss Army knife snapping open.

"Bones?" he said, looking to where he knew she was lying. "Bones, what are you doing?" He heard her choke back a sob and quickly moved to hover over her body, grasping for her hand in the darkness. When he found it, he almost sobbed herself.

Brennan had unzipped her pants and was holding the knife to the inside of her leg, just above the femoral artery. There was no mistaking her plan. But in her weakened state, Booth was able to easily take the knife from her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he exclaimed.

"You wouldn't listen. You wouldn't see reason. It's the only logical thing to do. It will double your survival time.

"No! There is absolutely no fucking way I'm letting you do that."

"I'm dying Booth." She said it with no pretense, no emotion. She said it as though she was walking through the death of someone on her examination table. "The majority of skin on my stomach is hard. I'm bleeding very severely into my chest cavity." She stifled a sob, her hard external layer was cracking. "It's been six hours. I won't survive another six. But I'm not strong enough to break the skin and puncture the artery cleanly."

There was a long pause, all that could be heard was the sound of their breathing which was getting more and more uneven as moments passed.

"You're going to have to do it," Brennan said at last.

Booth tasted bile. He knew she was right about her chance of survival. Her voice was getting weaker and her breathing was shallow. There was no chance she'd survive another two hours, let alone 6. But that didn't mean he was willing, or even able to do what she was asking.

"Please Booth," she whispered. "It hurts so much."

"I can't Bones," he replied. "You can't ask me this."

"I am asking you. You're the only one I could ever ask." She reached out a trembling hand until it found his face. "Parker needs you. Let me give you a better chance of seeing him again. Let my death have some meaning."

"But I need you as much as Parker needs me."

She gently stroked his cheek with her thumb. "No you don't. You'll be okay. You'll keep going. You'll find another partner."

He turned his face and placed a feather-light kiss against her palm. "Maybe," he said, "but I'll never find another best friend. I'll lose a part of myself. Please Bones. Please don't ask me to do this. It's too much."

"Why? Why won't you? If it will let you live, why?"

Booth leaned his head down until their cheeks were touching. He could feel the tears on her face mixing with his own that were now flowing freely. "Because I love you," he whispered.

Brennan's body shook with a sob. "I love you too. I always have." She raised her other hand up to cup both sides of his face. Then pulling gently, she brought his lips to hers. Booth could taste blood and tears but he didn't care because underneath, he could taste her. And she was everything he remembered from Christmas and more. It felt like coming home.

As she kissed him, Brennan brought one hand down to rest over his. She guided his hand, which held the knife, down across her thigh until it was placed correctly over the artery.

"Please make the pain stop Booth," she said when they broke apart.

"Bones…"

"It'll be fast," she said as she pulled her hand away. Resting their foreheads together she felt him shut his eyes tightly as his tears fell onto his cheeks. "I'll be dead within minutes. With the paralysis, I won't feel a thing. And then the pain will stop."

Booth's head fell into the crook of her neck. He was sobbing fully now. Brennan ran a hand through the hair on the back of his neck. "Make sure you get out of here. Tell Parker I think he's the best kid in the world. Tell Hodgins and Zach I'm proud of them. Tell Sweets he was right about us. Tell Cam to take care of everyone. Tell Angela she's the best girl-friend I ever had. And tell my family I love them. Promise me you'll tell them Booth."

"I promise," he said as he pulled his head up.

Brennan sighed and closed her eyes. "Thank you."

Booth clutched his hand around the knife. He would make sure he did it right. She would feel no pain. With his other hand he cupped her cheek. He placed tear-stained kisses all over her face before finally capturing her mouth with his one more time. "I'll love you forever," he whispered. He felt her exhale.

All of a sudden, just as the blade barely touched her skin, a shaft of light fell onto them. Booth could hear the yelling and felt some dirt fall onto his back. Looking up he saw Hodgins' face screaming with delight through the now-open door.

Looking back he saw that Brennan had passed out. He quickly dropped the knife and zipped her pants up over her mercifully still intact thigh. As he heard the rescue workers get closer she stared at her perfect face.

How would he ever forgive himself?

_tbc_

_please review, there's still quite a bit left to go_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Brennan woke up in the hospital two days later and took a deep breath of air. The first thing she noticed was that her throat hurt, which meant there had been a tube down it at some point. The next thing she noticed was that she still couldn't feel or move her legs. She felt tears begin to well in her eyes because she knew this probably meant paralysis. Then she noticed she wasn't alone in the room.

To her left, Angela and Hodgins sat side by side in plastic hospital chairs. Angela's head lay on Hodgins' shoulder and his head lay on hers. They were both asleep. Very slowly, as the movement caused some pain, she looked to her right and saw her father sitting in yet another chair. Squinting her eyes she saw that he was reading an issue of People Magazine. She had to smile, even though her heart sank a little when she realized that Booth wasn't there.

"Hi Dad," she said, her voice quite raspy.

Max started in his chair. "Temperance!" he exclaimed, reaching for her hand and bringing it up to kiss her knuckles. "Thank god," he breathed.

The sudden commotion woke the sleeping pair. Hodgins quickly ran to fetch a nurse and Angela leapt up to take Brennan's other hand.

"Did we catch him this time?" she asked.

"Yeah Baby," Max replied. "We got him."

"When the coordinates came in for the money drop, we were able to trace the account to a man in Virginia," Angela told her. "Cullen and his guys got him yesterday."

Once the doctor arrive there was a lot of talking and test taking and the excitement nearly gave Brennan a headache. But even in her slightly dazed state, she knew there was a subject everyone was avoiding.

"I won't walk again, will I?" she asked the doctor. The way her father avoided her gaze and Angela's eyes filled with tears was enough of an answer. The doctor went on to explain that the impact from the car had caused too much spinal cord damage for them to repair. Once he had given her the rundown of the rest of her stay in the hospital and told her that the physical therapist would be around the next day, he took his leave.

No one spoke for a few moments. Finally, Hodgins broke the silence.

"No worries Dr. B," he said. "You should see the tricked out chair Zach's designing for you."

"Cam's already working on making the lab accessible," Angela told her.

"And I've got your apartment covered," her father added.

Brennan nodded and smiled, totally overwhelmed by the lengths they seemed to be going and how much they cared for her. "Thank you," she said.

Max patted her shoulder. "I have a class to teach but I'll be back in a few hours okay?"

"Okay Dad."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you baby girl. We'll get through this." Then he left the room.

Hodgins too took his leave, saying that he had to help Zach with Brennan's new wheelchair. "On the plus side," he said as he left, "you've already got wicked upper-body strength."

And then only she and Angela remained. Angela sat down on the bed. "I know this is a lot," she said.

Brennan cut her off with a shake of her head. "I'm fine Angela. I knew down there that I had most likely been paralyzed. I will adapt. At least I'm not…I'll be fine."

"I know you will. But don't forget to ask for help if you need it. We're all here for you and we won't think you're weak."

"I know. And it means more than I can say."

They sat in silence for a while until Brennan couldn't take it any longer. "Ang?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Booth? Is he in another room? Is he okay?"

Angela looked away quickly.

"Oh," Brennan said. "I see."

"He was here the first last night. All night. And then he left. I haven't seen him since. And he's not picking up his phone."

"I understand."

"Sweetie, I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"No," Brennan replied sadly. "He won't."

XXXXXXXXXX

Every time he closed his eyes, he was back in that elevator. He could hear her labored breathing, her plea for him to end the pain, his own sobs against her skin. He could feel the knife in his hands, and the way her body had relaxed when he'd agreed. But most of all, he could hear her whispering that she loved him, and felt her lips upon his own.

She loved him, and he had almost ended her life. If the rescuers had arrived only moments later, she would have been dead. And even more than that, if he hadn't left her office after refusing to believe her theory on a case, she wouldn't have followed him into the parking garage. She was paralyzed for the rest of her life, and it was his fault.

Staring into the dark of his apartment he ignored the constant beeping of his cell phone that told him he had missed calls and messages. Taking another drink from the bottle of scotch in his hand he fought the urge to break a window with his fist.

He hadn't spoken a word since after the police had gotten his statement. He'd sat in Bones' room when they brought her from surgery. He'd wanted to apologize, to tell her over and over again that he was sorry and that he loved her. But the words didn't come. When Max had arrived he'd just looked at the older man with empty eyes. He wanted to tell her father that he'd almost taken away the man's daughter. But the words didn't come. Rebecca had come by the hospital, saying that if he wanted, he could have Parker. The thought of his son knowing what a failure his father had been make Booth sick. He wanted to tell Rebecca that he'd almost killed the woman who wanted to make sure Parker got every opportunity he could. But the words didn't come.

Now he sat alone in his apartment. He'd listened to the first message from Hodgins, telling him that Bones was awake. But the rest of the messages, the ones from Angela, he'd ignored. Bones didn't want him there, and he couldn't face her.

She was the love of his life. The only person that had ever known him inside and out and still stuck around. She was the reason he went to work each day. The reason he still believed in honor. He knew he had no honor anymore. She was the only person he could ever imagine spending his life with.

And if the rescuers had come moments later, she would have been his fifty-fifth kill.

_tbc_

_please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

After five weeks in the hospital, Brennan was beginning to go stir-crazy. She wasn't short visitors who brought her endless things to do; movies, games, forensic journals, puzzle books, she had them all. But sitting in bed for most hours of the day was getting to her.

The only escape she got was the two hours a day spent in physical therapy. She hadn't expected to so thoroughly enjoy the work but she did. It reminded her of the rush she got doing martial arts, something she knew she would miss terribly. Her physical therapist, Hannah, said she was making excellent progress and would probably be ready to leave in another week and continue their sessions as an outpatient.

Brennan had been lucky, relatively speaking. The paralysis had affected only her mobility. She wouldn't need a catheter or other bowel controlling devices. Her biggest concern would be blood clots in her legs. At night, she would have to wake up every few hours and turn her legs because it was unlikely she'd move very much in her sleep anymore. Zach had brought her a special alarm clock he'd designed that went off every three hours when it was turned on.

The squints had arrived the day before with her new wheelchair that Zach and Hodgins had designed and built. It was light, sleek, and tough. They had created a modified wheel system that allowed Brennan to alternate between manual and electric power. She had already made the promise to herself that manual power would be her primary source of mobility for as long as possible, but she had to admit that having the option would be nice. The four of them: Zach, Hodgins, Angela, and Cam, had taken her out into the hospital courtyard in order to really test the chair and Brennan hadn't smiled so much in a long time.

Throughout her entire stay in the hospital, there was still one visitor that had yet to appear. It was now the longest time she'd gone without seeing or speaking to Booth since they'd become partners. Each day that passed without bringing his arrival was like another weight added to her chest until some nights it was hard to breathe.

She dreamt of him every night. She heard him say he loved her. Felt his hand wrap around hers. And then he would be drifting away. And she'd hear him call her weak. Hear him say that she was useless to him now. And she'd wake up crying out his name. She tried to be as upbeat as possible when people came to see her, but the pain of Booth's absence was becoming noticeable to them all.

Now, however, there were no visitors, the room was quiet. She had just finished PT and although Brennan was tired, she didn't feel like taking a nap. Looking around the room she couldn't help but smile at the pictures Hayley and Emma had drawn for her. She glanced at the collection of DVDs people had brought her, including a documentary called "Murderball" her father had gotten after she confessed to him her fear of being weak in a wheelchair. The movie was about wheelchair rugby, and Brennan saw that players could be described as anything but weak.

Sitting under the TV was a brand new Xbox, a present from Sweets. The doctor came by every couple of days to "hang out" as he put it. At first he had tried to get Brennan to talk about the kidnapping and Booth's avoidance of her. But she adamantly refused, pointing out that she, as Cullen had regretfully informed her, would no longer be permitted in the field and therefore was not Booth's partner or under the supervision of the FBI. So Sweets really had no right or cause to ask the question.

Surprisingly, Sweets had accepted her argument. He'd then asked if it would be okay if he still visited her because, he'd admitted a little sheepishly, he'd always liked the conversations they had and found her to be a very interesting person. She had been a little shocked, but had told him it was fine. The next day he'd shown up with the gaming system and a few games. While Brennan still didn't understand the point of racing animated cars or shooting pretend aliens, she had to concede that it wasn't a terrible way to pass time in the hospital.

But what surprised her the most was that when Sweets wasn't trying to psycho-analyze her, he was actually a good companion. They played video games, discussed interesting cases they'd experienced or read about in their respective fields, and not once after that first time did he ever mention Booth or the Gravedigger.

Brennan thought about starting up one of the games but she didn't have the energy or real inclination. She was about to reach for her newest forensic journal when a knock came at the door. Looking up she saw Hodgins standing in the doorway.

"Hey Dr. Brennan," he said, his infectious grin on his face. "How was PT?"

Brennan smiled and waved him in. "It was good," she replied. "A little exhausting, but otherwise fine."

"Did you want to rest?" Hodgins asked, pausing halfway into the chair next to her bed. "I can come back."

"No, not at all." She noticed that he said 'I,' not 'we,' and was a little surprised that he was there by himself. Those days, he and Angela seemed to be together all the time.

Hodgins guessed at the curious look on her face and smiled a little. "It's just me for now," he said. "Angela will be here in a little bit."

Brennan nodded in understanding and then waited for him to continue since he obviously had something on his mind.

Hodgins leaned forward in the chair, elbows on his knees, eyes studying his shoes. "I came by cause…I wanted…I needed to…" He took a breath and looked up, meeting her eyes with his, blue on blue. "I'm sorry Dr. Brennan."

Brennan was confused. "That you can't decided what to say?"

"No, that is what I wanted to say."

"What could you possibly be sorry for? That's I'm in the hospital? That some madman got me again? That I have to be in a wheelchair? I don't want pity Hodgins. This is no one's fault but the Gravedigger. And I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me because I can't walk."

"No, no, no," Hodgins said quickly. "It's not about that."

"Then what is it about?" Brennan demanded.

Hodgins took another breath and began again. "After we were buried, I was…well I was really messed up. Every time I closed my eyes I was scared that when I opened them, I'd be back in that damn car. I looked over my shoulder all the time, was afraid of every unfamiliar face. And I had the worst nightmares I've ever had.

"Now I know you've seen a lot of horrible things and Angela told me about El Salvador so I get that you're probably better at moving past stuff like what happened to us. But it occurred to me recently that I had Angela during that time. And she was probably so wrapped up in me that she wasn't there for you like she usually is. And Booth mentioned to me in passing once that you never talked to him about what happened that day."

Brennan swallowed slowly. Just hearing his name made her feel a little sick. But Hodgins was right, she'd never spoken about it with Booth again after that day in church.

"So I know it's too late for this," Hodgins continued, "but I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry I didn't seek you out after it happened. You saved my life twice that day, and I never even thanked you." A couple of tears escaped from his eyes and slid slowly down his cheeks. "I know you and I will never as close as you and Angela are. But if I'm honest, you're one of the best friends I've ever had. So I'm sorry. I should have been a better friend to you. I promise I'm going to try harder from now on."

By this point, Brennan had tears running down her face as well. She reached out for his hand and pulled him into a somewhat awkward hug. Awkward only in that she was in a hospital bed, because there was an ease in the way they held on to each other that had never existed between them before.

"Hey you guys," came Angela's voice. "Should I be worried that you two are gonna run off together?" Angela realized she had witnessed the end of a fairly emotional moment between the two doctors. But she also knew them both well enough to know that if she didn't make a joke, they could fall back into their usual awkwardness.

Hodgins and Brennan both just laughed as Angela walked into the room. Before Hodgins sat back down however, he leaned over and kissed Brennan's cheek. "You're the bravest person I know," he whispered into her ear. And Brennan had just smiled her thanks.

Once he and Angela were seated next to the bed, Angela pulled out a notepad. "Okay," she said, "the nurse just told me they're releasing you in a few days. So I figure we need to start planning now."

"Planning what?" Brennan asked.

"Your homecoming party of course."

"Angela…"

"Oh come on Bren. It'll be great. We'll invite everyone over and have music and food. And I promise I will take care of all the clean up. You've been in the hospital for a month and a half, your release deserves, at the very least, some pi…cake." Angela cringed internally. She watched as a look of profound sadness washed over her friend's face. "Bren, I'm sorry. I didn't…." she trailed off.

Brennan decided that enough was enough. Angela deserved to know the truth. And since she would just tell Hodgins anyway, it seemed like as good a time as any.

"You guys," she began, "I didn't tell the FBI everything that happened that day." She proceeded to relate to the pair everything that had occurred in the elevator between her and Booth. From the declarations of love to her request. When she was done, Angela and Hodgins stared back at her in shock.

"Oh Bren," Angela said.

"So it makes sense that he doesn't want to see me," Brennan finished. "It makes sense that he'd want to cut the ties between us."

"No Sweetie, it doesn't. You were only trying to do what you thought was right. And so was he. He loves you. He should be here. You need to talk about this."

"Some things are unforgivable Ang, especially to a man like Booth. Besides, without being able to walk, I'm not use to him as a partner at work. And as an alpha-male like he is, I'm no longer a good choice as a partner outside of work being paralyzed."

"Okay," Hodgins said forcefully, "that's it." Then he stood and all but ran out the door.

Brenna watched with a confused look. "Should I not have told him?" she asked Angela.

Angela gave her friend a sympathetic smile. "No I'd say it was a very good thing to tell him."

"Where's he going?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say he's going to knock some sense into a certain G-Man."

Brennan's eyes widened, "He shouldn't do that."

"Oh I very much think he should. God knows someone needs to."

"So you're not…you're not angry with me?"

Angela felt her heart break a little. Her friend's voice had never sounded so small. "Of course not. I mean it's scary Bren. To think if we'd been a little later that you'd be gone. I don't know what I'd do without you. But I understand why you did it. And I think it was the bravest thing I've ever heard. And if Booth thinks it makes you a bad person, or if he thinks you not being to walk is a problem, then he needs to have some sense knocked into his thick skull."

Brennan let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said. "But I still don't think Hodgins should confront Booth."

"Why not?"

"Because Booth is a lot bigger than Hodgins."

Angela laughed, "Somehow, I don't think that will matter much today."

_tbc_

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	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Hodgins went to the Hoover Building first. When he inquired if he could speak with Agent Booth, he was told that the man had taken some time off. So he called Cam and got Booth's address.

Booth answered the door on the fourth knock. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and looked like he hadn't shaved in days.

"Hodgins?" he said, his brow furrowed as though he thought the doctor might be a hallucination.

"Is Parker here?"

"What?"

"Is Parker here?

"No. Why do…"

Booth was so caught off guard by the punch Hodgins threw that he had no time to even think about dodging or blocking it. So the smaller man's hand landed squarely on his jaw, causing the agent to stumble backwards. "Jesus Christ Hodgins! What the hell?"

"You're a fucking coward Booth," Hodgins said. "You won't see here, won't talk to her. Why? Cause you're stuck in your own little pity party. I can't believe I ever thought you were intimidating, let alone honorable."

Booth's eyes flashed with both anger and hurt as he rubbed his now-bruising jaw. "Hodgins," he said, his voice dangerously low, "you have no idea what happened down there so back off."

"I do know. Brennan told me and Angela." He let that information sink in before he continued. "That's right. We sat there while she told us that it made sense why you weren't there. That it was logical you saw her as weak for asking you to do what she did. That you had no use for her since she can't walk. We had to sit there while she defended your cowardess."

"I almost killed her," Booth said, his voice beginning to crack. "I was going to do it. If you guys had shown up thirty seconds later she would have been dead. She did it to save me. I held that knife to her skin, I was too weak to make her keep fighting. She's better off if I'm nowhere near her." He slid down the wall until he was sitting.

Hodgins watched with a look of almost disbelief. This man he'd always thought was so strong was clearing breaking inside. He sat down on the floor next to Booth. "She loves you man," was all he could think to say. "She doesn't blame you for what happened. But every day you aren't there, she slips a little further into herself. She's turning back into the person I first met eight years ago, and that person wasn't nearly as great as who she's become since knowing you. She thinks it's the wheelchair, that you don't want her anymore because she can't chase bad guys or walk or stand."

"I would want her even if she was just a floating head," Booth whispered.

Hodgins paused for a moment. "Look," he said at last. "I get why you're scared. But I never thought fear was enough to stop you. I've always thought you were the sort of man who conquered his fear when it came to doing the right thing. That you were the kind of man who protected the people he cared about, which is what you did down there in the elevator whether you believe it or not. And Angela was able to convince me that you were a man who was not only good enough for Dr. Brennan but who actually loved her too.

Hodgins got to his feet. "Be that man Booth." And then he walked out the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

Booth stood outside Brennan's apartment. He knew he should have just gone straight to the hospital, but for some reason, when he'd gotten into his car he found himself driving to her apartment instead. Using the key she'd given him after their fourth or fifth case together, he let himself in. Looking around he noticed that someone, probably Angela or Max, had been bringing in the mail, cleaning, and watering the plants.

He quickly made his way to the bookcase and stopped to run his hands over some of the artifacts that rested there. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Brainy Smurf and Jasper sitting beside some sort of African tribal mask.

Booth easily located the copy of Brennan's second book and paused for a moment to read the dedication that in the past had always made his heart swell. Now it just served to remind him of what a horrible partner and friend he'd been the past few weeks.

He brought the book over to the living room and sat down on the couch. The letters were tucked towards the back of the book. Each one was dated. He opened the oldest one first.

_Dear Booth,_

_I know you are doing everything you can to find us. I know that if you're reading this, I'm dead. Please don't blame yourself. It isn't rational. There's nothing you could have done. You gave me a new life Booth. You make me a better person. And for that, I will always be grateful. Tell Russ I love him. Angela and the rest of the squints too. I'm sorry I'll never get the chance to tell you all the things I want to. Please don't forget me._

_-Bones_

For a moment, he was thrown back to that day. He had been serious when he'd threatened Vega. He had never been so scared in his entire life. The one thing he was thankful for throughout this whole ordeal was that he had been with Bones this time. Not worrying about where she was.

The next letter was dated just after Angela and Hodgins' almost-wedding.

_Dear Booth,_

_I'm not underground, facing my death, so I don't know why I'm writing this. Maybe writing is just easier than saying the words out loud. You'll probably never read this, but I guess that isn't the point._

_I lied when I said that you arresting my father doesn't bother me. It does. It bothers me because I can see how much it's hurting you. I never wanted to put you in that position. You're the best friend I've ever had and nothing that's happened this year has changed that._

_I want you to know that Dr. Wyatt was only half-right. I did stay, at least in part, for you. Because as much as I can't imagine a life without purpose, I can't imagine a life without you in it. It sounds crazy, to me most of all, but yesterday at the wedding, when we stood in front of the alter after Angela and Hodgins ran off, a part of me wanted so badly to marry you. To be the impulsive person I've never been in my life. To see what you would do, if you feel the same way as I feel. I guess I'll never know._

_-Bones_

Booth could barely breath. She stayed for him. She had wanted, for however briefly, to marry him. It was almost too much to deal with. He had looked at her in front of the alter that day, wondering what she would do if he asked. Now he knew that she was thinking the same thing.

The next two letters were short. Very short. The first one was dated during the time when she thought he was dead. Slowly, he unfolded the paper and read the brief lines.

_Booth,_

_I thought you would be the one to never leave me. But you're gone. And without you, I'm not here either._

_-Temperance_

And finally, the last letter. Written the day after her father's trial concluded.

_Booth,_

_I hope that you understand why I did it. I'm sorry. Thank you for giving me my father back._

_-Temperance_

Booth held the letters in his hands, if he closed his eyes he could imagine her writing them. Could imagine the way she held her pen, using three fingers instead of two because she never learned the proper way. He could hear her breathing as though she was sitting right next to him. She loved him. And he loved her. Why would he think that wasn't enough?

He had to fix things, and he had to do it soon.

_tbc_

_thanks for the great feedback so far! please keep it coming!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: So this will be the last chapter. I will write an epilogue that should be up within a couple days. Thanks for all your great feedback everyone!_

**Chapter 8**

Brennan was packing. She had been told by her doctor that she would be released from the hospital the following day. She was relieved, to say the less. Cam had told her that she could come back as gradually as she needed. That was good, because Brennan would still have to be attending physical therapy every other day, and still tended to tire more quickly than she did before. But she was thrilled at the prospect of getting back into the lab, even if the idea of not working with Booth still sent flashes of pain through her chest.

After Hodgins had left the day before, she and Angela had talked some more about what had happened in the elevator. Brennan remembered why it was so great to have a friend like Angela. However, despite all of her friend's assurances and comforting words, Brennan knew it would take some time for her to get over Booth.

As she carefully placed the Xbox into the box it came in for transport home, she heard a knock at the door.

"Hey Tempe," came her father's voice. "I brought a surprise visitor."

Brennan spun around in her chair and saw her dad standing in the doorway behind Parker Booth, his hands resting on the small boy's shoulders.

"Hey Dr. Bones," said Parker with a big smile.

Although Brennan's stomach flipped slightly at the sight of her former-partner's son, her affection for the child outweighed any grief she might have been feeling and she smiled back. "Hey Parker. How're you?"

"I'm good. Mr. Max showed me how to make a pickle light up. And I asked my mom if he could take me to visit you and she said yes. So we came to visit. I brought you something." He looked up at Max who nodded and urged him forward. Parker approached Brennan and held out a small gift bag.

Brennan took the bag and reached inside, feeling something soft. When she pulled out the small stuffed skeleton she laughed. "This is wonderful Parker, thank you."

Parker shrugged and blushed a little. "Mr. Max said that you could teach me the names of the bones someday. I only know a few now."

"I figured eight years was old enough for a boy to learn the bones," Max said.

"I agree," said Brennan. "But I'm not sure how much I'm going to see you anymore now that your dad doesn't…now that we're not partners anymore."

Parker looked between the adults. "But Mr. Max said I could still come to the museum. I don't want to not see you anymore Bones. I like when you hang with Dad and me."

Brennan bit her lip to keep from crying. "I like it too Parker. And you're right, I will see you at the museum."

Sensing the tension in the room, Max clapped his hands together. "Let's go out to the courtyard," he suggested. "I've been telling Parker how amazing your chair is and he said he wanted to see it in action for himself."

The way Parker's face lit up at the suggestion made it impossible for Brennan to say no even if she'd wanted to. So she nodded in agreement and the three of them made their way outside. Once there, Parker climbed up on Brennan's lap and listened, fascinated, as she explained how her chair worked. She switched to electric power and let the boy control the steering for a while, Max smiling as he watched from a nearby bench.

"Hey Dr. Bones?" Parker said when he finally brought them to a stop.

"Yes?"

"My dad's sorry."

Brennan was taken aback. "What do you mean? Did he tell you to say that?"

Parker shook his head. "I asked him last week how come we couldn't see you in the hospital and he said it was cause you wouldn't want to see him cause he did something bad. But he didn't tell me what he did. I told him he should say he was sorry but he said that sorry wasn't good enough."

"Parker…"

"I know he's sorry though," Parker continued. "I heard him one night. He was on the couch and he was praying and he kept saying he was sorry over and over again and he said your name a lot too." The boy paused and wrung his hands together. "My dad said that saying sorry wouldn't be enough but I thought that maybe if you knew, you could forgive him and you could be friends again because then I wouldn't only have to see you at the museum. And…and cause he's always really happy when you're friends."

Brennan felt her throat tighten and she wrapped her arms around the boy. "I'm happy when we're friends too Parker," she said. "But sometimes, when two people go through something really scary and bad like your dad and I did, it can be hard to be friends again."

"Couldn't you try though? My dad says trying is important."

Brennan didn't know what to say. How could she explain the situation to Booth's son? How could she tell this little boy what had caused the rift between her and his father? There wasn't a way. Instead she just held him closer. "Whatever happens, I'm still going to be your friend okay?"

"Okay," Parker said with a little sniffle. Then he looked up and his eyes brightened. "Hey! Now you can ask him!"

Brennan's head snapped around to where Parker was looking and she froze when she saw Booth standing at the edge of the courtyard. Their eyes locked, neither moved.

Parker, sensing something was up, slid down from Brennan's lap and ran over to Max who had seen Booth as well. The older man's eyes narrowed as he led Parker over to the child's father. Looking Booth in the eye and speaking low so Parker couldn't hear he said, "If you hurt her like this again, I swear to god I will end you."

Booth just nodded, still unable to look away from Brennan.

"Come on Parker," Max said, "let's get some ice cream in the cafeteria." With that the two of them went back inside the hospital. Booth and Brennan still hadn't moved towards each other. They stared at each other from across the courtyard, tears in both their eyes.

There had been many times, throughout their partnership, that words had been unnecessary between the two. That moment, as they looked at each other for the first time in over a month, was one of them. It was as if Booth somehow knew what Parker had told her, and Brennan knew everything that happened between him and Hodgins. In the back of Brennan's mind she could hear a small part of herself scoffing at the very Hollywood-like moment they were having. But even knowing that, it was probably the most truthful moment in their entire partnership.

Finally breaking out of his trace, Booth began to walk towards her. When he stood before her wheelchair he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Choking back a sob he felt his legs suddenly go weak. He dropped to his knees and lay his head in her lap, letting the tears come at last. Brennan's hands stroked through his hair as her own tears fell onto his head.

After several minutes, with Max and Parker watching with excitement through the hospital window, Booth raised his head and kissed her. She responded, cupping his face with her hands. They fell into the embrace and all the tension, the fear and sadness they'd felt since being pulled from underground, began to melt away.

When they pulled apart, Brennan traced his face with her hands like she had done in the elevator. Booth closed his eyes at her ministrations. "I didn't think you could forgive me" he confessed, resting his face in her lap once again.

Brennan leaned down. "There's nothing to forgive." Then she kissed the back of his head. "Don't leave me again."

He looked up at her again and all she could see reflected in his eyes was passion and desire. And maybe, if she believed in that kind of thing, love. "If I have to," he swore, "I will spend the rest of my life making you believe that I won't leave you again."

Brennan responded by kissing him again. But unlike their previous kisses, this kiss was a promise that they would get through this, a promise of a future.

No more words were spoken, they weren't needed. There would be time for explanations and longer apologies and making plans later. For now, there was simply the feeling of being near each other after a long separation. And the understanding that they would never be so long apart again.

When they finally noticed the people around them in the courtyard staring, Booth stood up and the two of them made their way to where Max and Parker were grinning broadly. Max noticed that, even with his daughter in a wheelchair, they moved together in much the same way as before. It was almost a dance, one he'd been afraid he would never get to witness again. He watched as his daughter and her partner fell into a new groove, it was easy to imagine how their former walking/bickering would so easily translate into this new reality of walking/rolling/bickering.

But what was most familiar about the way they moved, was that without touching at all, anyone could see that they were holding each other up. That's what they did, thought Max. The Gravedigger may have tried to take it away, but in the end there was the two of them, keeping each other above ground.

**The End**

_please review_


	9. Epilogue

_Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me through this story. Your feedback has been awesome. For those who have asked, I might do a sequel if a plot comes to me.  
_

_Added Author's Note: I know some of you were hoping that Brennan would magically get control of her legs back but that was never my intention when I was writing this piece. I wanted to show that Bones can still be Bones even if she can't walk. I wanted to show that they can adapt and go on with their lives. Also, when a person's spine is crushed beyond repair, it is unlikely that they will wake up and be able to walk. Sorry if I disappointed some people but this is the fic that the muses sent me._

_And now...on to the end of the story.  
_

**Epilogue**

Booth couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face as he watched twenty nine-year olds listen to Brennan explain the various components of her wheelchair. She had agreed to come to Parker's class when the boy had explained that they were studying physical disability. There had been a time when Booth would have cringed at the thought of Bones getting up in front of so many children, but a lot had changed in the last year and a half.

Being buried alive had changed all their lives dramatically. And yet, now it was rare that any of them consciously remembered what life had been like. Angela and Hodgins had married at last and were toying with the idea of kids. Zach had become proficient in field work and even Booth had to admit the man was good to have around. The changes Cam had made to the lab to make it possible for Brennan to continue working (ramps, examination tables with adjustable heights, lifts in Limbo) were now familiar to everyone.

There were other changes that now seemed commonplace as well. Like the fact that Parker was a frequent visitor to the Jeffersonian, with or without his father, and could often be found doing homework in Brennan's office after school. Or the way Sweets and Brennan would now joke about who was better at a new video game. But most of all, it was the fact that when Booth arrived or left the lab, he always did so by first kissing Brennan.

Being together had been easier than either one had expected. Living together had been an obvious step to take. From that first day Brennan left the hospital, Booth had rarely spent a night at his own apartment. Even when he'd had Parker, the two of the, at Parker's insistence as much as anyone else's, had stayed at Brennan's place. And soon after, her guest room had officially become Parker's room. Booth had simply let his lease expire and officially moved in after about four months.

Parker and Brennan had become quite attached to one another. Booth had expected to feel slightly uneasy about the relationship when it first started. He had anticipated some jealousy to arise when Parker sometimes wanted Brennan to read to him at night. He had expected to worry about the two of them being so close since it would hurt Parker that much more if Booth and she broke up. However, that first night Parker spent with the two of them, Booth had overheard his son ask Brennan while the two of them were making a salad what would happen if she and his daddy broke up. Brennan had assured the boy, leaving no room for doubt, that even if that were the case she would never disappear from Parker's life.

So now, the relationship between Brennan and Parker only made Booth feel better about their transition to a romantic relationship. And whenever he saw them together, or heard Parker whisper to Brennan that he loved her, it just made his heart soar. Something totally illogical told him that this was further proof that he and Bones would be together forever.

It was also why he hadn't been nervous at all about Brennan going to Parker's class. She'd raised an eyebrow at his insistence that he tag along, but he'd assured her it was only to watch and he knew she had become much better with children.

So far, the day had gone smoothly. Brennan answered all the kids' questions, made them laugh, and thoroughly impressed them with the realistic model of a spine she'd brought to better illustrate her injury. At one point, she had even gotten some 'oohs' and 'ahhs' when she'd named the bones they'd pointed to on their own bodies. Booth was pretty sure Parker's class thought she was the smartest woman in the world.

There had been one moment where a child had addressed Brennan as 'Mrs. Booth.' The look on Brennan's face had caused Booth to bite back laughter. But before she could say anything Parker, who had been standing beside her the whole time with his arms crossed in a very Booth-like protective stance, told his classmate that she was 'Dr. Brennan,' alleviating any need for explanation.

They'd had the marriage conversation about a year into their relationship. Booth had told her that while he wanted to be married for a lot of reasons, he respected her views on the institution. So they came up with sort of a compromise; there would be no marriage license, no ceremony, and no names would change. Instead, they had a huge party for all their friends and family before flying to Italy for two weeks for a non-honeymoon.

On their first day in Rome, Brennan had surprised him by asking to go to the Vatican. Booth had assumed it would be something he would have to push for. Once inside the city, they made their way to the fountain in Peter's Square. Booth sat on the edge of the ornate structure, Brennan beside him in her chair, and was taking it all in when he felt her slip something into his hand.

A lump formed in his throat as he uncurled his fingers and saw the plain, matching, white-gold wedding bands. "I know how much marriage means to you," Brennan said. "And I am grateful that you understand why I don't want to be married. So I wanted to at least give you something of the tradition. And it just seemed…fitting, to do it here."

Booth was completely overwhelmed. The fact that she recognized how important ceremony and religion was to him, and that she'd chosen the holiest of place to exchange rings, if not vows, meant more to him that he could say. So he settle for kissing her deeply, hoping she could sense his gratitude.

When they pulled apart she smiled. "They're engraved," she said quietly, not wanted to break the moment. Booth held up his ring and read the tiny writing. 'Partners,' was all it said.

"It's perfect Bones," he told her before kissing her again and slipping it onto his finger. She took her ring and placed it on a gold chain around her neck, since moving her wheelchair made it uncomfortable to wear anything on her hands. In that moment he felt, though he would never admit it to her, that they were married in the eyes of god. And after that day, he never felt guilty about living in sin again.

Booth was brought back to the present by the children's applause. Looking up he saw that Brennan was finished. She and Parker wore matching grins. He watched as his son hugged her and whispered something in her ear. As the class began to get ready for recess he said goodbye to Parker and he and Booth met in the hallway.

"I think that went well," Brennan said as they made their way to the car.

"I agree."

"They all seem like bright kids."

"True."

"But not as bright as Parker of course," she added with a smile.

"Of course not," he replied with a smile. "Hey what did he say to you just now?"

"He said I was much better than when Captain Fantastic came to talk about his job. And he said I was the coolest step-mom ever."

Booth swelled with pride in his son and he could tell that Brennan was touched as well. "Well Bones," he said, squeezing her shoulder, the action that had replaced his hand at the small of her back, "I've always thought you were pretty cool."

Brennan rolled her eyes. "The first time we met you wanted to hit me in the head with something heavy." She lifted herself into the car.

"True," he said as he threw her chair into the trunk with a well-practiced motion. Then he climbed into the driver's seat and looked over at her, grinning. "But I still thought you were about the hottest thing I'd ever seen.

"You are the most insufferable man I've ever know," Brennan said as they drove towards the diner.

"I love you too Bones."

**The End End**

_Thanks again, and please review!_


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